OUTDOOR CALENDAR

Note: Parks may be closed due to rain conditions or mud. Call or visit websites for current conditions.

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CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK

Crystal Cove State Park, 8471 N. Coast Hwy., has 3.5 miles of beach and 2,000 acres of undeveloped woodland. $10 day-use parking fee.

The park is open 6 a.m. to sunset daily. Docent-led backcountry hikes are scheduled for 9 a.m. most Saturdays and Sundays. Hikes are three to five miles, and last about two hours.

Note: Hikes meet at one of these locations:

?El Moro Visitor Center “” from Coast Highway, turn inland at the School/State Park light and follow park signs.

?Los Trancos “” from Coast Highway, turn inland at Los Trancos. Meet near the trailer.

?Pelican Point Lot No. 2 “” From Coast Highway, turn coastward at Newport Coast.

For more information, call (949) 497-7647 or e-mail wbonnin@parks.ca.gov.

?Backcountry hike, 9 a.m. Sunday. Learn the ecology of Crystal Cove while hiking in the area. Meet at El Moro Visitor Center. $10 day-use parking fee.

?Tidepool walk, 2 p.m. Sunday, when the tide will fall to the lowest of the lows “” -1.7. A volunteer will help search for animals found in the lowest zones including sea stars, octopuses, sea hares, and fish. Meet at Pelican Point parking lot No. 2, at the top of the boardwalk near the parking lot (on Coast Highway, turn coastward at Newport Coast stoplight, right at the kiosk and left into the first lot.) $10 day-use parking fee.

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LAGUNA COAST WILDERNESS PARK

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, 20101 Laguna Canyon Road; reservations and information, (949) 923-2235; www.ocparks.com.

Rangers staff the park daily. Open daily, 7 a.m. to sunset, including holidays. Parking lot hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To learn more about volunteering or helping Laguna Canyon Foundation to preserve, protect and enhance the South Coast Wilderness, visit www.lagunacanyon.org or call (949) 497-8324.

Willow Canyon on Laguna Canyon Road, just south of the El Toro Road intersection. Open to hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers on specified trails; open 7 a.m. to sunset, but parking lot is only open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., $3.

Dilley Preserve on Laguna Canyon Road, just north of the 73 Toll Road: Open daily 7 a.m. to sunset. Parking $3; lot open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Little Sycamore Canyon on Laguna Canyon Road, just south of the 405 Freeway interchange: The James and Rosemary Nix Nature Center hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; parking $3; lot open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Laguna Heights, the trailhead for West Ridge trail and routes into Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, at Top of the World on Alta Laguna Boulevard, is open daily, 7 a.m. to sunset.

Reading the Landscape: 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Discover the mosaic of plant life in our diverse coastal canyons with Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteer naturalists Len Gardner and Lynne Jeffries on this moderate, but steep and rocky, 3.5-mile-hike. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Willow Canyon Staging Area. Reservations required: (949) 923-2235. Parking: $3. Suggested donation: $5/person.

Intermediate Mountain Bike Ride: 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday. Enjoy ocean and canyon views on this 13-mile ride over steep terrain (2,200-foot gain) with Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteer mountain bike trail assistants. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Big Bend Staging Area. Reservations and helmets required: (949) 923-2235. Parking: $3. Suggested donation: $5 per person.